Optimus glanced at the mirror again and swallowed. He hated the way the chain tightened around his neck when he moved his arm too far. He'd have to get Cyclonus to readjust it before his performance. If he couldn't move his arm that far, then it would mean that he could not preform properly, and that meant that he wouldn't earn any credits. No credits meant that he was going to get no small amount of glitching-out from his more successful colleagues.

"Kid," Cyclonus grunted as he stuck his head in the room. "You're on in ten."

"Chains," he murmured, moving his arm to show.

"Again?" the large purple mech chuckled as he entered the room fully. "I almost think that you do this on purpose."

Optimus grimaced slightly at the playful accusation. He had been here long enough to know when Cyclonus was joking, even when his face barely cracked into anything other than a stony grimace. For a large mech, he was incredibly gentle with his employees. His fingers barely caught on any of Optimus' armor as he moved the chains out of the position they had been knotted into.

When they were fixed, Cyclonus ran a hand over Optimus' helmet. He leant into the touch, smiling shyly up at the mech that owned him. He wasn't a favourite; Cyclonus had no favourites; but he was smart enough to avoid fights and therefore was in better with his "boss" than most of the others. Cyclonus moved the chains dangling on his back a little, making them accent the gentle swell of his back-strut, before he sighed.

"Big crowd," he warned as he nuzzled him gently. "Got Blackout keeping peace, but don't get too close to the edge of the stage. I don't know if we could fish you back out."

Optimus shivered a little before smiling weakly. Cyclonus nodded in approval before he turned and left the room. He looked in his mirror one last time, wiped a little coolant off of his brow. He traced the red swirl on his cheek, painted on that morning for his performance in a few minutes, and inhaled heavily. He turned and left his room, shivering a little as he passed some of Cyclonus' guards.

"Good luck, kiddo," one grunted.

He nodded to him before he paused at the edge of the curtain. He watched the other mech on the stage do a rather suggestive gymnastics routine and the crowd was going wild. He could see Blackout hauling someone out, his huge frame making very few mechs even dare to argue with his verdicts. The mech finished up with a swift lick up the length of his leg as it dangled over his head and carefully stood up as the crowd gave him a huge round of applause.

"Warmed em up for ya," the mech chuckled as he walked past him, wiping at the wet, blue paint covering his white paintjob. "Go get 'em, cyberkitty."

Optimus swallowed nervously as he watched a rather showy femme strut onto the stage to announce him. His legs started shaking as he took in all the mechs now waiting for the next show. At the sound of applause, he inhaled deeply and composed himself as much as he could. As soon as he was sure he could walk without tripping over himself, he set his hands suggestively on his hips and strut out onto the stage.

He shot the crazy crowd his best sultry glance before he wrapped his hand around the pole sitting near the edge of the stage. He heard the crowd howl in delight as he rubbed against the pole, throwing his gaze around at the mechs in the audience. The bright lights focused on him made it hard to see the crowd, but he knew that they were out there and he knew that they could see every last inch of him.

He spun around the pole, gaining momentum, and flipped himself up to wrap his leg around the pole, pointing his foot towards the ceiling. He wanted to close his eyes and run through his routine that way, but the audience got insulted if he wasn't throwing sultry looks around all the time. He carefully stretched his other leg down towards the floor, earning a roar of approval from the crowd as he showed just the beginning of his flexibility. He fluttered his optic shutters at the crowd and rested a hand suggestively just above his aft.

He crooned gently and leant forward, letting the crowd get a good look at his aft; which was painted black for the performance; before he changed his position in a whirl of limbs. He had his legs now on either side of the pole, pointing towards the ceiling again as he grasped tightly with his hands to keep himself up. He let out a gentle moan; all acting perfected, naturally; before he loosened his grip and let himself slid down the pole towards the ground.

His performance was filled with acrobatic feats that left his audience screaming for more. He refused to do what one particularly rowdy mech demanded; lick the pole; only because he was positive someone had mentioned that they had a rust problem. He was not getting that in his mouth, thank you very much. He was quick to leave the stage once he was done, throwing a kiss to the audience as they roared with pent up urges.

"Nice," the performer from earlier commented, the black paint now washed off. "Ain't never seen no one shimmy up and down that pole like you do, Opy."

He felt the blush run across his face and he rubbed his head in embarrassment. "Thanks, Jazz," he murmured.

Jazz was one of the oldest mechs working for Cyclonus. While he technically wasn't that old, it still surprised most new recruits to see him. He was one of the best performers and always in high demand by high paying customers. He was mouthy and ornery at times, but Optimus loved to call him a friend. And he was free of his chains, but liked to hang around when his mates were off planet. This was good considering he was busy teaching another mech how to dance like he did.

Jazz smirked before stepping back as Cyclonus walked over. The large mech gave Jazz a small glare, a playful one that Jazz knew all too well, before shooing him away. Jazz laughed and sauntered off, humming a fast-paced song that Optimus did not recognize. Cyclonus shook his head after his old employee and glanced down at him.

"Someone just paid for your personal attention," Cyclonus stated. "No interfacing; he just wants you to do a lap dance of sorts."

Optimus made a small whine in his throat; he hated personal attention sessions; but followed Cyclonus anyways. He motioned for one of the guards to follow; a big guy named Astrotrain; and Optimus relaxed a little. The guard would stand outside the room to make sure that he was safe and would respond from a single blip on his com-link. It was reassuring to have the big guy around, even if he was going to be out of sight.

Cyclonus stopped outside of a large door and motioned him in. His hand passed reassuringly over his head as he walked by him and into the room. It was pitch black inside and he had to reboot his optics a few times to make out where the couch was. Every one of the customers liked to sit on the couch to receive their evening "toy".

He could see the outline of the mech now and his port sang happily over the fact that it wasn't getting abused tonight. The mech was enormous, bigger than Blackout; which was saying something because that mech was huge; and very, very spikey. He swallowed nervously as he walked over to his customer, half-expecting the mech to stand up and grab him when he drew near. The mech's red optics watched him as he sat down on his knee and slid a hand up his thigh.

"You wanted to see me?" he tried to purr.

A huge hand reached up and cupped his cheek, the touch so gentle he almost flinched away. He swallowed again as he felt the hand drift down to his shoulder, the enormous digits drifting over the chains with great care. He shivered a little from the touch.

"Take your time," the mech replied with the most velvety smooth voice he had ever heard. "I like my partners to have fun while they pleasure me."

He was a little stunned with the mech's voice and nodded without even realizing it. He slid up the mech's leg, making sure to put the right amount of pressure against the mech. He settled his hands on the mech's chest, marvelling at the sharpness of the armor, and ran them up towards his face. The mech let out a soft sigh of relief and seemed to sink backwards into the couch. He liked it, obviously.

He leant forward more and rubbed his chest against the larger mech's, making sure to ensure that his customer enjoyed every minute he paid for. He leant in closer and pressed his lips against the mech's, purring softly at the touch. His lips felt nice, better than most mechs he had to service before. They were soft, but at the same time firm. It was extremely sensual and he was stunned with how much he liked it.

He was even more stunned when the mech ran his hand up the small of his back and looped his fingers through the links in the chains. So few had ever dared touch the chains, but this mech seemed content to hold them. It was probably just a way to make sure he did not try to escape. Perhaps he wasn't so different from the rest.

He tried to bite back his growl at the thought and instead focused on rubbing his hands against the mech's side. He earned a long groan of pleasure from the customer and he slumped more against the couch, his dark optics focused on his face. Optimus felt nervous with that kind of intense gaze and his fingers faltered in their course. The mech stroked his helm and let out a soft purr.

"I don't mean to scare you, little one," he cooed. "Is there anything that I can do to make myself less intimidating?"

"Stop staring?" Optimus suggested while leaning into the massive hand.

The mech let out a deep chuckle before his optics shuttered and left them in near darkness. He used the time to fix the pull of the chain on his back a bit; he could not move the chains anywhere beyond where Cyclonus placed them. The mech purred softly before his hand settled gently on Optimus' backside and gently squeezed and patted it, almost as if he was trying to comfort him. He shivered and grumbled to himself, really not liking the attention to his aft, before he returned his hands to the task of finding the pressure points on the customer's body.

The mech groaned more as Optimus slid his hands back up his chest. Acknowledging the groan, he leant down and dragged his glossa over the sharp armor. He slipped it down into a crevice and looped the tip around a large cable, dragging it closer to his mouth to suck on. The reaction caught him off guard and he yelped as the mech arched up towards him with a wild snarl of pleasure. He was pitched forward and only just managed to stop from crashing into the mech's face.

"Keep…keep it up," the mech growled hungrily, the hand on his aft tightening a bit. "So good; good, good little mech."

He bit his lip a little nervously as he heard the tell-tale sounds of an interface panel sliding away. Then there was the very physical press of a tube against his foot and he immediately jerked it away. He glanced back and swallowed at the sight of all the twitching cables; the mech was more aroused than he let on. It scared him a little, but the comforting hand settled on his back side kept him from freaking out.

"My apologies," the mech purred softly, "but I needed it out in the open where there is less of a chance of electrocuting myself. It won't affect you, I promise."

In spite of the fact that the hand and the tube scared him, he was able to continue with his work. He wasn't sure how long he was in that room for, but his constant touching and licking had the massive mech shuddering in bliss. The mech had one hand settled on his aft while the other one kept his overly excited tube away. Optimus dragged his glossa over the mech's neck and he felt the convulsion beneath him that meant the other mech was experiencing his overload.

The mech let out a long roar of delight as the cables on his tube stood straight up and withered as if in pain. Optimus held his snicker in his chest, smirking slightly against the mech's neck as his hand clenched tightly around the chain hanging just above his aft. He felt the tug as the mech started pulling it down as he started arching up into his overload. Optimus let out a strangled cry as the chains were pulled taunt against his throat. He clawed weakly at the mech, the faintest beg for him to stop barely making it past his lips. Then, his world shattered.

The chains shattered, sending metal flying in every direction. Optimus froze, staring ahead of him as the familiar weight of the binding chains fell away. He had broken the chains; the chains, the unbreakable chains, were gone. He was off the mech's chest before he had time to come down off of his overload and cried out for Cyclonus.

Cyclonus was through the door in a split second, his optics hard. Optimus flung himself into the mech's arms and clung to him whimpering as Astrotrain stomped up beside him and had his gun out. The customer was sitting up now, staring down at the golden chain in his hand as if he could not understand how if got there. He shook his head a few times before he rose to his feet, his tube sliding back behind the panel.

"Sir?" Cyclonus' tone was hard, but Optimus, even in his terrified state, could hear the respect.

"You were there when the chains were crafted," Cyclonus replied. "They have no weak point." His hand drifted over Optimus' helm reassuringly as he cowered. "Astrotrain, go get Optimus' possessions; he has to go with his sparkmate."

Optimus and the customer looked at Cyclonus in surprise as Astrotrain left. The word "sparkmate" continued to repeat in Optimus' head and he clung to Cyclonus desperately; he had to be joking! There was no way this giant was his sparkmate! There was no reaction from his spark! It wasn't jumping and screaming for its partner in his chest and, to be honest, the mech scared him. The mech was watching him now, his dark optics narrowed in scrutiny.

"Are you positive, Cyclonus?" the mech asked, his voice far deeper than earlier. "There could be one that malfunctions."

"Blackout personally reefed on it when we first put it on him," Cyclonus replied. "Almost choked him, but did not bend."

The mech nodded and Optimus pawed desperately at Cyclonus to get his attention. "Cyclonus," he whimpered quietly. "Please…don't make me go with him. I don't want to leave."

Cyclonus' arms tightened around him and gave him a rare hug. He reassured him, telling him that the mech would take care of him better than he ever could. He glanced at the giant, shivering a little under his gaze. He smiled slowly and held his massive hand out towards him.

"I suppose we should get use to one another," he stated in the deep, but gentle voice. "I will take good care of you, little mech, I promise."

Optimus stayed close to Cyclonus. He belonged to Cyclonus…but this mech had broken the chains. No one could break them. No one…but a spark mate. It was to keep him safe from being taken away by a customer. He wasn't sure how the mechanics of the chains worked, but they had never snapped in any other mech's hands.

"Optimus," Cyclonus sighed before pulling him away gently. He knelt down to be optic level with him and forced a smile to his face. Cyclonus never smiled unless his mate was doing something. "This isn't goodbye forever. You can come visit anytime you like. Just like Jazz does. Though, you don't have to preform if you don't want to."

Optimus nodded weakly, still terrified, and hugged Cyclonus tightly. The purple mech's hand travelled soothingly over his back and calmed him. He turned to look at the giant, whose hand was retracted a little, and timidly smiled. He reached out to take his supposed sparkmate's hand and was surprised by the gentle look that crept into the mech's optics.

As his hand settled in the massive black one, Astrotrain returned with a large bag of Optimus' belongings. It was not very big; he did not own much since he was always too busy to actually care for material possessions; but he knew the bag would not fit in his subspace. He took it from Astrotrain with a small nod, smiling shyly up at the larger mech, and was stunned when his sparkmate offered his other hand.

"I can carry that for you," he stated gently as he took the bag from him and stowed it away in his subspace.

Optimus turned to say good-bye to Cyclonus, only to squeak in surprise as his sparkmate scooped him up. He clung to the mech's chest, his body tense from the surprise. Then, realizing that he was not in any danger, he relaxed into his sparkmate's chest. He grumbled for a warning and received a gentle nuzzle for his complaint. He gave Cyclonus one last look over the mech's shoulder and waved good-bye before he settled down to recharge.

He awoke to the most gorgeous room he had ever seen in his life. Everything was covered by purple cloth or drapery, including the heating blanket he was currently snuggled under. What looked like war trophies were set up in various cases around the room, the contents gleaming in the soft light they were stuck under. He sat up slowly, keeping the heating blanket around him since it was so nice and warm, and noticed that a data-pad was sitting on the table next to him.

He picked it up and activated it, blinking at the message.

"As much as I would love nothing more than watching you recharge, I have matters that need my attention. I should return around midday, little one, and we will learn more about each other properly. An attendant will bring a cube of energon around for you when you are ready. He should be just outside the doors of the room. It would be best if you stay put until after tonight when I have time to inform everyone of you living with me."

He smiled to himself and set the data-pad back down. It was a bit of a drop to the ground as the berth was designed for the giant mech and not him but he landed as daintily as ever. Glancing around, he headed for the doors and timidly poked his head out. He was a little surprised at who turned around to meet his gaze and was extremely tempted to duck back inside.

"I suppose that you would like some energon now that you are awake," the mech commented in a softly accented and highly sophisticated voice.

"Y-yes please," he murmured quietly, tucking his head protectively into his body at the sight of the sharp talons on the mech's hands.

The mech nodded and gave a quick bow before he turned and headed down the hallway. Optimus tipped his head curiously after him, but ducked back into the room where he was much safer. He beat a hasty retreat back to the berth and hid under the covers where he struggled not to shiver too much. He heard the attendant enter the room and place a cube of energon on the table next to the berth. He felt the three claws ghost over his helm, similar to the way Cyclonus' use to when he was scared.

It piqued his curiosity for a moment and he risked a small peek out from under the covers. The mech spotted him when he was at the door and Optimus was positive that there was a smile on his mouth-less face. He gave a small bow and exited the room, leaving him with more unanswered questions than anything else.

He downed the cube of energon hungrily, not even tasting it. His last one had been in the middle of the day before his performance. He was starving as a result. He had barely finished it when he heard the door open again. He smiled to himself, the heavy footsteps telling him that it was his sparkmate, and turned to greet him. His voice died in his throat as he took in the terrifying mech striding proudly towards him.

He was a huge pile of perfectly shaped metal and armor. The massive helmet he wore was full of sharp points and closed off most of his face. The mouth that had been so comforting the night before was a hard line that was made all the more cold by the pair of red optics drilling into him above it. The dark grey, black, and red armor glistened in the low light that the attendant must have turned on when he entered. Every part of him was sharp and pointed, belying the space-cruiser alt mode he no doubt sported. Optimus sank into the berth and tried his best to bow before the mech.

He felt the mech's hand settle on his helm and he flinched on instinct. He was surprised at the gentle circles that were being rubbed into his helm and timidly looked up at the behemoth. The mech smiled and picked him up, cuddling him to his chest as he sat down on the berth. His hand trailed over his cheek before the Ruler of Cybertron tipped his head back and pressed his lips fully over Optimus'.

"Do not apologize," he purred into his mouth. "I wanted that room dark for a reason. How could you do your job if you thought that I was actually of some importance? You would have been trying too hard and, as you can see now, would have missed your chance at freedom."

Optimus could not argue with his statement. But he still felt horrible for treating the Supreme Lord like an ordinary customer. He hung his head as he pulled out of the kiss and leant it against his sparkmate's chest. He still could feel nothing stirring his spark at the contact and the doubt bubbled up again. Almost as if he could sense his doubt, the larger mech nuzzled him gently.

With a swift flick of his hand, his chest plate slid open to reveal the heavily armored spark casing. Optimus felt his spark jump in his own casing and stared at his sparkmate. The much larger and older mech let out a soft purr before the casing unfolded around his spark and let the dark orb pulse before him. Optimus grabbed his chest as his spark started smashing around erratically within him.

Before he knew what he was doing, his mouth was crashed over his leader's and he was whining and moaning wantonly. He never made those noises on his own, not without serious stimulation. It scared him and made him want to curl up on himself. But then his sparkmate kissed back, running his hands gently over his waist and pulling him closer.

"Megatron," he whispered softly, "please?"

"Anything you want, my little mate," the giant purred.

"Optimus," he whined as the mech moved him onto the berth. "My name is Optimus."

He purred his name into his audio before he felt his huge hand ghost over his port cover. He whined for more, staring blearily up at Megatron as his own spark casing open to reveal his pulsating red spark. He reached up and wrapped his arms around his sparkmate's chest as his massive arm wrapped around the small of his back. He was easily lifted up towards Megatron's spark and as they touched, his world exploded. This time, he wasn't scared.

Author's note: Yah, I seem to be taking a downward spiral into the land of the smut. Not really complaining though since a lot of people are enjoying what I'm writing. Just a little plot bunny that clamped down hard on my butt and refused to let go. The idea of the chains that don't break unless a sparkmate pulls them comes into play in another story later on. You won't likely see that one for a while though. Anyways, hope you all enjoyed the story; I'll get It Takes a Bond updated soon, hopefully.

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.